The world of Aerthrael is built upon the bones of dead gods.
Their divine blood soaked into the earth. Their dying screams became winds that whisper across mountain peaks. And their shattered dreams crystallized into what mortals now call Mana.
This is no ordinary energy. It is a reflection of divine intent. A soul-forging force that echoes across time.
All power in Aerthrael stems from these Echoes.
Those who wield it walk one of many paths—called the Testament Paths—each born from a different divine legacy.
✡ Testament Paths
There are seven known Testament Paths, each bound to a divine archetype. These Paths are not schools or techniques—they are living philosophies. Once chosen, they brand the soul, change the body, and reshape the mind.
Progression along a Path is not linear. It is a crucible.
Every step forward demands sacrifice, comprehension, and alignment of belief with power.
The seven major Paths are:
1. Path of the Blade
Doctrine: Strength through discipline.
Powers: Forging Soul Edges, concept-cutting techniques, martial resonance.
Ranks: Steel Vein → Sword Spine → Edge Mind → Bloodsteel Will → Void Cut
Truth: "To cut the world, first cut yourself."
2. Path of the Ember
Doctrine: Power born of passion.
Powers: Fire invocations, emotional fuel, resurrection via Flamebirth.
Ranks: Kindle → Flame Root → Burning Pulse → Phoenix Heart → Wildfire Truth
Truth: "The fire that burns you can also be your weapon."
3. Path of the Lantern
Doctrine: Wisdom as the sharpest blade.
Powers: Illusions, memory tampering, prophecy, dreamwalking.
Ranks: Wick Reader → Dream Page → Mirror Scribe → Beacon Walker → Truthbearer
Truth: "The mind shapes reality; to deceive it is to own it."
4. Path of the seeker of the truth
Doctrine: seek what you dont know
Powers: Shadow arts, emotion manipulation, curse ingestion, transformations , mysteries solving , divination .
Ranks: shadow → puppter → Death Mask → Hollow Body → mysterious ruler
Truth: " knowldge is power."
5. Path of the Bound Star
Doctrine: Power through pact.
Powers: Divine blessings, oath-bound spells, celestial chains.
Ranks: Oath Initiate → Starbound Caller → Heaven's Vow → Chain Saint → Celestial Voice
Truth: "Every vow you take is a piece of yourself you never get back."
6. Path of the Withered Root
Doctrine: All things decay. Control the rot.
Powers: Time slowing, entropy spells, aging curses, decay manipulation.
Ranks: Dust Whisper → Rust Gaze → Grave Pulse → Ashstepper → Hollow Timelord
Truth: "All that lives feeds the grave. Be the one who eats time."
7. Path of the Blooming Vein
Doctrine: To grow is to change.
Powers: Biomanipulation, beast bonding, monstrous evolution, healing.
Ranks: Seedheart → Budcaller → Bloommind → Thornskin → Primordial Bloom
Truth: "Control life, or be controlled by it."
🔬 Manuals and Divine Testaments
To walk a Path, one must discover a Manual or Testament Relic—ancient writings or god-blood-infused artifacts.
Manuals grant philosophy and techniques.
Testaments awaken the soul, allowing entry into a Path.
They are rare, jealously guarded, or hidden in cursed places where gods died.
🔮 Invocations & Spellcraft
Each Path uses spells called Invocations, ranked by complexity and divine proximity:
Mortal Tier – Basic spells, replicable by most.
Spiritual Tier – Require mana shaping and philosophy alignment.
Mythic Tier – Demand understanding of the Path's core Truth.
Divine Tier – Bend laws of reality; some are living spells.
⚔️ Artifacts and Relics
Artifacts are weapons, tools, or gear forged with Godshards—essences of divine remnants.
Rarity Tiers:
Rusted (F)
Forged (E)
Blooded (D)
Sacred (C)
Divine (B)
Shardforged (A)
Relic of the Testament (S)
Some artifacts evolve. Others corrupt. A few are sentient—and mad.
🌊 Curses and Blessings
Power in Aerthrael is not always earned—it is sometimes inflicted.
Curses: Twisted divine echoes that bring power at a price.
Examples: Regression, Wraithbound, Soul Burn.
Blessings: Fragments of true divinity that offer guidance or protection.
Examples: Sunflare Mark, Beastwhisperer Bond, Oathkeeper's Light.
These can be inherited for ancestors who were blessed by gods, given by gods directly